Legislative Highlights

Legislative Highlights contains the latest news and information on activities at the Oregon Legislature that affect public education. It is published weekly during Oregon's legislative sessions. Subscribe to the OSBA General News email list to receive Legislative Highlights in your inbox.

The legislative session was looking as if it was nearing the finish line, but in a surprising turn of events, the Senate Republicans have once again vacated the building, this time in protest of the expansive cap-and-trade bill.

It was not clear early Monday, May 13, if the all terms of a deal between Senate Democrats and Republicans would hold, but by the close of the floor session House Bill 3427 had passed on a party-line vote.

House Bill 3409 would prohibit schools from participating in interscholastic activities coordinated by an association unless that association develops and adopts policies on "equality, civility, dignity and civil rights."

Oregonians for Student Success hosted our first lobby day on Tuesday, Feb.12, bringing supporters from Multnomah and Clackamas counties to the Capitol to advocate for school needs, including adequate and stable funding.

This session started out much like every regular session, with folks hustling around the Capitol to talk to each other about their bills and catching legislators in the halls and elevators for brief conversations.

Session officially began Jan. 22 at the usual pace: a sprint. Gov. Kate Brown and newly elected legislators were sworn in, and then with a bustle of activity, committees met to adopt rules and introduce members.

The subcommittee sent House Bill 2246-A to the full Ways and Means Committee with a “Do pass” recommendation. It would create the statutory language for Measure 98 and establish the High School Graduation and College and Career Readiness Fund for the grants.

After a three-hour, often-acrimonious debate, the House passed a bill that would increase Oregon revenue by an estimated $196 million in 2017-19. House Bill 2060 limits the number of people who can take a business tax exemption created in the “Grand Bargain” of the 2013 special session.

The Joint Ways and Means Education Subcommittee held its first hearing Wednesday on Gov. Kate Brown’s two main education policy initiatives remaining this legislative session: Senate Bills 182 and 183.

The Office of Economic Analysis released its next-to-last Oregon revenue forecast for 2015-17 on May 16, predicting income will exceed projections made in 2015 by 2.4 percent and the state will have to return $407.8 million to taxpayers .

Senate Bill 1062 would highlight possible environmental hazards and create the necessary transparency, education and process to ensure the community, students, staff and schools are informed about hazards and how schools will address them.

Ten years ago, the Oregon Legislature set standards for physical education time and gave schools until the 2017-18 school year to comply. The 2007 bill, House Bill 3141, required 150 minutes of physical education per week for elementary school students and 225 minutes per week for middle school students.

Senate Bill 101 would prohibit a school administrator or staff member from notifying anyone about a child abuse investigation in progress on school grounds. Current law already states this for public schools, but the bill would add authorization for students in private schools to be interviewed.

A year-long task force charged with figuring out how to get more nurses in schools led to Senate Bill 111. Given the significant budget situation facing the legislature, the bill was amended to be moved forward as a pilot project, which would limit participation to nine school districts.

Senate Bill 294 would make significant changes to the public contracting code, and proponents are seeking an amendment that would carve out cities and counties, leaving school districts as the target of the law change.

OSBA is interested in possibly retaining excess funding in the contingency reserve to help offset the difference when the PERS system does not meet the assumed rate. This would bring down the employer rate.

The Public Employees Retirement System has a growing liability that is affecting the ability of cities, counties and school districts to provide services. PERS payments are dollars that schools will not get to spend in the classrooms.

Members of the Oregon School Boards Association board of directors and legislative policy committee visited Washington, D.C.,to meet with Oregon’s congressional delegation as part of the National School Boards Association's 2017 Advocacy Institute.

The Legislature’s Joint Ways and Means Committee has announced dates and locations for town hall meetings, creating an opportunity for school board members statewide to tell legislators that they need to fully fund K-12 education in Oregon.